Blame the Paranoia
by AzureInfinitum
Summary: She figures as long as she doesn't attract any attention to herself, life in Manhattan should be fine. If only she knew that it's impossible to wander the area without stumbling across some Greek hero or another. AU, where Sadie combined with Isis at the end of Red Pyramid.
1. Arrival

**Title:** Blame the Paranoia

**Rating: **K+

**Summary:** If she wasn't the immortal Eye of Isis, Sadie would have died of boredom by now. She gets everything she wants, whenever she wants, in anyway she wants nowadays. It's driving her _mad_. Naturally, she has to go seek out something dangerous to cure her boredom. And what's more dangerous than wandering across the river?

**Background:** AU - Sadie and Carter decide to take Isis and Horus up on their offer to unite completely and become king and queen of the gods. They get to see their parents daily in the court of the gods

**Disclaimer:** The _Percy Jackson and the Olympians_ series, the _Kane Chronicles_ series, and all included characters belong to Rick Riordan.

**- Quotes from _The Red Pyramid_addressing the PJO series -**

_"So you can't live in Manhattan?" She asked._

_Amos's brow furrowed as he looked across at the Empire State Building. "Manhattan has other problems. Other gods. It's best we stay separate."_

_"Other what?" Sadie demanded._

_"Nothing."_

_Thoth looked offended. "In Ancient Egyptian, it's a perfectly fine name. The Greeks called me Thoth. Then later they confused me with their god Hermes. Even had the nerve to rename my sacred city Hermopolis, though we're nothing alike. Believe me, if you've ever met Hermes—"_

"_Agh!" Khufu yelled through a mouthful of Cheerios._

"_You're right," Thoth agreed. "I'm getting off track."_

**- Chapter 1 -**

"What is our latest status with the First Nome?"

A fire demon steps in front of the throne and kneels. "Your Majesty, they are ready to arrange a meeting when ever you find it convenient."

"Arrange a banquet for next week. We will house their leaders for the night and show them the utmost kindness."

I hear Bes snickering from the crowd gathered on the sides of the thrown room. There aren't as many gods and demons here as there were for the coronation, but that is to be expected. It felt much too crowded during the coronation. Only major gods and servants are allowed in the throne room on a daily basis now.

_As it should be._

We've changed the decor, too. It still has the polished marble floors, the tall columns, the firey braziers, and the King's throne in the middle of the room. However, we have built a smaller throne next to The King's throne which I sit on. We also added red and gold tapestries and thrones for all of the major gods to sit on. The King thinks it makes them feel more important and loyal.

"Is there something you would like to say, Bes?" The King asks, a smile quirking at his lips.

The dwarf-looking protector of households and bringer of good luck stands up from his throne with a large grin splitting his face. He bows slightly and says, "Simply, Your Majesty, the recommendation that I might paint my nose brown for the occasion. It would save us a fair amount of trouble."

Paint our noses ... ah, brown nosers. I get it.

_Bes's humor tends towards the crude ... and unfunny._

Nevertheless, his recommendation causes a few, muffled laughs to sprout in the throne room. Bes is one of the few who can get away with cracking jokes in the middle of court, mostly because he is known among the gods to be the "class clown." And it eases tension, so The King allows it.

Leaning his chin onto his head, The King says with bemusement. "Mm. Well, if this effort to make peace with the Per Ankh fails, would you like to offer your services to our army for the war instead? I am sure Monthu could put you good use."

"As fire kindling!" The god of war bellows between chuckles.

The throne room bursts out into full, loud laughter. The King even laughs a little bit himself. It's nice to see him smiling; he hardly ever does it when court is in session, even if we don't have any hearings going on right now.

He notices me staring at him and frowns. "Sister, must you sit so improperly?"

"Yes, brother, I'm afraid I must." I roll my eyes. He may like sitting up straight in his throne like a "proper king," but I prefer what ever position is comfortable. And if that position happens to be my back lying against one armrest with my legs hanging over the other, then so be it.

_Will you not let me take over? You are making us look unbearably immature and unprofessional._

No. I take over in court when we don't have any hearings, remember?

_You act as though that agreement is fair, yet I am only allowed to take over during court or at important events._

I believe you words were, '_Fine, take the leisure moments. I only wish to be The Queen once more._'

_I never said that._

I was paraphrasing, but you understand my point. You wanted to be The Queen; I wanted to be anything but.

"The sun is setting over the Nile, Your Majesty," Seshat announces.

"So it is. If there is any oppositition to court adjourning, speak now." The King looks around the silent room. Hearing no objections, he nods and says, "Then this meeting is hereby adjourned until next week."

The gods and goddess all stand up together and bow to The King and I. After the bid of goodbye is completed, most of the gods vanish in bright bursts of light to return to the places they have claimed as their homes, such as Thoth's residence at the University of Memphis or Set's condo in Las Vegas. Others merely walk out of the throne room, because they have rooms in the palace (Bast, for example, who the other gods revived as a coronation gift for us).

I look over when The King groans and places his head in his hands. When he looks up at me, his eyes are younger and filled with more light. Carter is back in control of his body. I almost feel bad for him: he has to let Horus take over when we're in the palace to maintain a "kingly" image. I can afford to act my age, but Carter is not as lucky.

"God humor is the worst," I say.

An unbidden smile comes to Carter's face and he groans, again. "Don't make me smile, Sadie. I have a headache."

Waving my hand, a golden cup appears in it and fills with herbal tea. I take a sip and sigh contently. When I look back at Carter, he is staring at my tea intently, an unspoken message of, 'Can I have some?' in his eyes that nearly makes me laugh out loud.

"You might try making some tea, Carter. It does wonders for a headache," I say apathetically and take another long sip.

Carter glares at me heatedly and I do actually laugh as I hand the cup over to him. We both know that Carter is still not quite used to his godly powers. The last time he tried to conjure gingerale for himself, it turned to mud before he could even have the first taste. He's used to combat magic, and so using magic like this is something he's still adjusting to.

He takes two large swallows and then hands the cup back to me. "Do you want to go visit Mom and Dad?"

"I'd rather go home."

To us, "home" is the Twenty First Nome. Uncle Amos still treats and houses us as his niece and nephew, even though he could easily get in trouble with the remaining leaders of the Per Ankh. Carter and I were able to restore the mansion with a blink of our eyes, including Philip of Macedonia. Philip, Khufu, and Uncle Amos all stay at the Twenty First Nome, which is why it is and always will be our home.

"We haven't seen them for a week," he responds, a frown tugging at his lips.

"I know, but today was excessively stressful. I just want to go home and sleep."

"You're a goddess. You don't need to sleep."

"That doesn't mean that I don't enjoy sleeping."

"They look forward to our weekly visits. You know they can't leave the Duat." Carter's fists clench. Ooh, he's getting angry, is he?

"You visit them then. Give them my regards."

Carter flies to his feet quickly and whirls back to face me, his expression twisted in anger that tells me I might have gone a bit too far. "You are _unbelievable_, Sadie!"

"Losing your cool already?"

His eyes flicker darkly like malicious fire that promises punishment. It's a trait he has acquired from Horus, I've noticed. And while it makes some of the minor gods cower, I am not and never will be afraid of my own brother. King of the gods or no.

He says firmly (in a voice somewhere between his own and Horus's), "You're coming with me to see Mom and Dad."

"Oh, am I?"

"Yeah, you are."

The earth under our feet shakes, and the walls tremor with it. Things would always explode, fall over, shatter, or turn to sand whenever Carter and I argued, even before we became King and Queen. It seems that adding godly powers to the mix has made our arguments very nearly fatal. Fortunately, we haven't argued very often since joining with Isis and Horus. Except for now, of course.

I get to my feet now and fix him with my best, challenging stare. "You have no right to tell me where I should go, _brother dear_."

"I'm the king of the gods! Your older brother! I have every right!"

This isn't about our parents anymore, I can tell. This is about a power struggle. Carter was always upset by the fact that he could never charm or control me; could never pull Dad's attention away from me whenever they visited. Even with the highest position of power in the universe, he still can't control me. It infuriates him. Good.

_Is it truly good, Sadie?_

Of course it is. He needs to know that he can't control me.

_Carter is The King. His duty is to lead and, if necessary, control others._

He knows who to lead and who not to lead, Isis.

_Does he? It was my understanding that as king of the gods, his duty was to lead everyone._

Well, yes, but not _me_.

_You may have one or the other, Sadie: a king or a brother. Never both._

I _will_have both.

_... Then I wish you luck in trying, and hope that you are not disappointed in the end._

"No, Carter."

He glares at me, probably suspicious of why my anger is gone. "Why not?"

"Because I'm the queen of the gods. Your sister." I snap my fingers and a portal to the mortal world opens ahead of me. "We support each other no matter what our responsibilities are or who is trying to kill us." I step up and kiss his cheek like a good sister should. The earthquake has stopped, which is a good sign, I guess.

Carter's furious gaze softens, but he doesn't say a word.

_Horus's pride is keeping him from doing so, no doubt._

"Tell Mum and Dad that I love them, and that I'm sorry I didn't come this time around." I give him the smallest of smiles and then walk through my portal.

The ground under my feet shifts as white light consumes my sight. I feel myself briefly lift into the air before I'm set gently back down. When I open my eyes again, I'm in my room at home, but I don't feel that sensation of relief at coming home like I normally do.

Falling back onto my bed, I shut my eyes. Five minutes tick by, and I'm still wide awake. Wonderful. I argued with Carter for nothing.

_You feel guilty._

I feel paranoid.

_Paranoid._

Carter could be watching me right now. _Any_of those gods could be watching me right now. They could have eavesdropped over that argument for all I know. How can I sleep knowing someone is watching me?

_You do not normally feel paranoid._

I don't normally make the palace rock on its supporters either, do I?

_Point made._

My head tilts to the side as my gaze locks outside of my window. We have a decent view of Manhattan from here. Manhattan. The one city that none of us are allowed to go to. Why? Apparently, another set of gods have their headquarters in Manhattan.

_The Greeks._

From your tone, I'm guessing you aren't a fan?

_Hmph, no, I am not. The Greeks ... how to phrase it? They ... have trouble keeping their hands to themselves._

God, did you really just say that?

_It is true! They will have children with anyone! Even mortals!_

Mortals? How can they have children with mortals without hosts?

_The Greeks do not use hosts. They are strong enough to appear in the mortal world where ever they desire._

Why can't you, then?

_Do pay attention, Sadie. We, Egyptian gods, have battled and been sealed for centuries; our power reservoirs are only so large. However, this period of peace we are entering into promises us recovery. By a year's time, I might be able to leave your body whenever I desire to._

Does that mean we won't have to share the same head?

_Oh, I would still share your body. I do so love to pick your brain._

Ha ha ha.

_... Why do I feel as though this conversation is not over?_

Do the Greek gods know about us? Carter and I, I mean?

_We hide ourselves from them just as they hide themselves from us. Even their strongest prophet has no knowledge of our people. It is the way we agreed the universe should operate those many centuries ago._

So, if I were to wander into Manhattan, would they know that I'm a goddess?

_No, I imagine not. They would have reason to be suspicious of you, though. You would appear as a "blank spot" in their vast knowledge of the universe. How do the mortals put it? Sticking like a sore thumb?_

Sticking out like a sore thumb.

_Yes, well, you know my point._

Would the gods here be able to watch me if I went there?

_Manhattan in its whole is a blind spot for us. It _reeks_ of Greek magic._

I get to my feet and walk towards the window. The sun has set by now and the city is lit up in a break-taking sight. Even if we know that the Greeks have their headquarters there, it's anyone's guess where the entrance _physically_ is. As long as I lay low and don't go _looking_ for it ...

_You are not honestly thinking of going to Manhattan, are you?_

Well, I don't see why not. Court isn't in session for another week. And I can sleep if I know for sure that no god or goddess is watching me.

_You can never know for sure, Sadie. They might notice you the second you walk into their borders. Furthermore, they would have cause to declare war if they discovered you tresspassing. This world would not survive a war between two parties of gods._

They won't discover me.

_Sadie-_

I'm doing this, Isis.

_... Use some common sense in this, then._

What do you have in mind?

_Bring Bast with you._

You're insane.

_Far from it. There is no doubt in my mind that she would soon track you down even if you did not take her with you. She would then report your location to your brother._

And if I ask her to go with me, she'll just tell Carter immediately. Oh joy, so it's a lose-lose situation?

_Not necessarily. If you took her with you and made her promise not to report it to your brother, we could avoid being caught and have protection with us at the same time._

Somehow, I don't think a promise will cut it.

_Have her swear on the Eye of Ra._

You think she'll really swear?

_I see no reason why not._

Alright, then we'll do that. Though I have to say, I never imagined you would help me sneak out.

She sniffs indignantly. _If we are going to do this, I would rather not get caught. Any punishment for you is, after all, a punishment for myself._

True.

Clapping my hands, a bag appears on my bed filled with clothes, toiletries, and really anything else I'll need for a week-long trip. I wish I could pack more magical items, but I run the risk attracting the attention of the Greek gods if I use too much Egyptian magic, like charming too many inanimate objects or having excessive amounts of shabti waiting on me. God knows we'll attract enough attention having two _goddesses_ together in one place.

_Are you positive this is the only way, Sadie?_

Positive.

**- Two Hours Later -**

Muffin croons in my arms unhappily as we step off of the bus. I roll my eyes and say, "It wasn't _that_ bad."

"_Why couldn't we take a portal here?_" Bast (Muffin) asks, though it comes out as meows.

"Oh yes. And while we're at it, why don't we wear giant neon signs that say, '_Two Egyptian goddesses over here! Come get us!_'?" I ask as I look around us. A hotel would be nice. Preferably one worthy of the queen of the gods.

_The power has already gone to your head._

I rule the universe by all intents and purposes. I deserve a spot of pampering every so often.

"_Careful with that thought, Sadie; you'll be spoiled rotten before you know it,_" Bast says slyly.

Tapping her nose lightly, I say, "Stay out of my head, you. One goddess in here is bad enough."

_I take offense to that!_

That was my intention.

We walk into a posh-looking hotel that you just _know_ is the place-to-be for businessmen and people with more money than they know what to do with. The lobby is grand and decorated with contemporary-looking sculptures and furniture, and it has floors so polished that you can see your reflection in them. The most impressive part is the giant, well-lit fountain in the middle of the lobby made of several, brass rings inside themselves rotating and churning the pool of water underneath it. High class living at its finest.

There aren't many people at the front desk due to what I assume as residents being out and about in the city right now, but it just makes this that much easier for me. The receptionist watches me approach the front desk with a somewhat pitying expression. He doesn't believe I can stay here.

I place my left hand on the desk as the atmosphere around us becomes somewhat blurry. The receptionist's eyes cloud over a bit as he watches me in a daze. My ability at using glamor charms has improved with becoming a goddess. This should even be able to trick the security cameras.

"I would like a single room on the top floor and full access to all hotel facilities. Put it all under the name of Sadie ... Faust. A background check on my name isn't necessary, nor is my providing any personal identification." It wouldn't do to have a background check done of me when he wakes up from this.

He nods and types something into his computer. "Do you know how long you will be staying, Miss Faust?"

"A week."

"Your total is $7645.24. Will that be cash or credit?"

"Credit." I reach into the pocket of my jeans and pull out a golden credit card, which I hand to him. He scans it, types in something else on his computer, and then gives it back to me.

Did you know gods get credit cards with unlimited quotas? Renenet, the goddess of wealth, gives them to any god who is living in the mortal world. They aren't registered under any name, but money is transferred seemingly out of nowhere when ever you use it. I could have taken the room for free, but there's always that feeling of guilt you get from tricking mortals. Just compensation is due, after all.

_How benevolent of you._

"Would you like a bellhop to take your bag up to your room?"

"No, thank you."

He nods and hands me an envelope of key cards. "Your room is number KS4 on the 77th floor. Enjoy your stay, Miss Faust."

I slip the envelope and the credit card into the same pocket as I walk to the elevators. Just before the doors close, I see receptionist blink owlishly at his computer in slight confusion.

Seventy seven stories up, the doors open for me, again. The hallway only has four doors that are generously spread out amongst each other. My room, KS4, is the very last one in the hallway on the left. I unlock the door and set Bast down as we walk inside.

The first thing I notice is that this room is very _white_. White ceilings, white, circular columns lining the side of the room, a white marble kitchen open to a dining area of a white table and white chairs around that. Past the dining area is a set of white couches that make an 'L' shape around a white table and face a set of white cabinets that support a flat-screen TV. The carpet is a dark shade of grey, and there aren't any outside-facing walls; it's all tall windows that give an amazing view of the city. Next to the TV, there's a door that leads out onto a private balcony of white marble and concrete railings.

"_Can I change back into my human form now?_" Bast asks as she kneads the carpet with her paws.

"No, we had a deal. You could come if you stayed in cat form and didn't tell Carter where I am." I walk towards the door leading to what I assume to be the bedroom.

It doesn't look much different from the living room: spacious, grey carpet, a white bed in the very center of the room, a white dresser, a white chair against one the walls, and a flat-screen TV mounted on the wall across from the bed. The biggest difference apparent is that the walls of windows have tall, white drapes. There is a door leading to the loo, but there's nothing I need in there right now.

Sitting down on my bed, I clap my hands, and my bag begins to unload itself.

"What do you want to do first?" I ask Bast as she trots into the room.

Bast jumps onto the bed and stretches lazily. "_Shopping?_"

"Something more creative, Bast! I didn't come here to do something I could do back in Brooklyn!"

_It was my understanding that you came here to sleep._

Bast yawns. "_Sleeping sounds good, come to think of it._"

"I don't want to sleep yet! I want to do something entertaining."

"_Well then, go walk around. You'll probably find something eye-catching eventually,_" Bast says.

_And walk around aimlessly in the dark streets of Manhattan by ourselves? I think not!_

"_Live a little, Isis,_" Bast mumbles as her lips stretch out in a smirk that would put the Chesire Cat to shame.

_I am living plenty! That does not mean I am willing to walk out into the streets of this - this _death city_ without proper protection! There are Greek monsters slithering all over this town!_

One of Bast's eyebrows quirks upwards in a disbelieving expression. "_If the thought bothers you so much, call up some of your warrior shabti and have them follow you around._"

_The monsters are attracted to power. If we had shabti walking behind us, it would only increase our chances of being attacked and possibly overwhelmed!_

"I don't think anything will be more power-attractive for a monster than queen of the gods, Isis," I say.

Bast snickers. "_They would just be appetizers for the main course._"

_Bast!_

Standing to my feet, I turn back to Bast and ask, "Shall we go take a look around this death city?"

"But, of course!" Bast hops off of the bed and dashes for the door.

I hear Isis sigh in my head, but I can tell that she's smiling.

- An Hour Later -

_That was the worst service I have ever had! The only thing they brought on time was our check!_

Rolling her eyes softly, Bast says, "_You've only be serviced as a queen up until this point, Isis. There will always be certain things that won't meet your expectations._"

"There are _several_ things will never meet her expectations," I correct.

_Quiet, both of you!_

Bast and I both start to laugh quietly. Fortunately, the street back to our hotel isn't too crowded, so there is really no one around to experience what would surely seem like a moment of mental instability on my part.

_Is it not strange that this street is deserted? I recall it having much more people when we came through here this evening._

They're probably back in their apartments or hotel rooms sleeping.

"_No, Isis is right. This is the city; half of the people here are most active at night. There should be more-_" Bast stops walking. Her fur poofs up, and I hear the softest of hisses come from the back of her throat. "_I smell blood._"

_I told you. Did I not tell you? This city is _filled_ with Greek abominations._

"_I smell monster blood, but there is mortal blood in the mix._" Bast takes off running and I dash after her.

We're both running faster than any mortal could, but she doesn't stop running until we are almost half a mile away from where we started. Bast takes a sharp turn into an alley, but I slow down to let her enter first and scout around. This could be a trap, and, to be honest, Bast can fight better than I can.

"_Sadie! Come here! Hurry!_" Bast calls out in urgency.

I step into the alley and blink as my eyes instantly switch to a sort of "night-vision" look. Bast is sitting on her haunches and softly pawing the arm of ... is that a person? My god, he's bleeding! I drop to my knees next to him and begin to look him over. He has a bleeding slash across his chest, a black left eye, two broken fingers, and several bruises and lacerations scattered throughout his body. Thankfully, he's unconscious right now, or those would probably hurt.

"Should I call an ambulance?" I ask Bast.

She shakes her head and looks further down the alley. "_Look there._"

I look down the alley and my sight automatically zooms in. There is a nearly-dead monster lying (breathing roughly from a wound on its chest) on the ground about twenty feet from us. Judging by the fact that the breed name doesn't jump into my head when I look at it, I guess it's a Greek monster. Did it attack this bloke?

Slamming my open palm to the ground, a burst of multicolored energy erupts from my hand and travels to the monster. The light grows to completely cover the monster, and when it fades, the monster is now just a large pile of sand.

"_He probably has supernatural injuries that normal doctors would question,_" Bast says.

_Not to mention the fact that _we_ are the goddess of healing magic._

"Too true," I say as I move the boy so that he is riding piggyback on me. Without the strength of a goddess, this would be unquestionably impossible for me. I'll say it, because I just have to: I love being a goddess sometimes.

_Cast an invisibility spell on yourself! No amount of glamor charms will be able to excuse you carrying a bleeding young boy on your back through the hotel lobby._

I focus on the sensation of water: clear, cool, sheltering, invisible. Invisible. My legs turn see-through under me. I glance to Bast and find that she is turning invisible, as well. Once I'm sure that I am invisible from head to toe, I start running even faster than before. The hotel isn't too horribly far, but I wish it was closer.

Why do I care about this so much? It isn't as though any of his injuries are fatal. I could have just healed him in the alley and left him to wake up.

_You want to assure yourself that he will remain uninjured after you heal him. It is in our instinct to act caring such as this. We are the goddess of motherhood._

Good to know.

We run through the doors of the hotel and don't stop until we reach the elevators. Seventy seven floors go by very slowly, if you don't know. It gives you time to think about things you would rather not think about, like how your shirt is being soaked by blood that doesn't belong to you or how the boy on your back smells like the ocean.

"_Sadie? Sadie, the doors are open!_" Bast exclaims as she runs through.

I follow after her, appearing in front of my door in the time it takes a mortal to blink. My hands are shaking as I try (and fail) to put the key into the slot. I grunt and slam my hands onto the door as it begins to glow. It unlocks instantly and swings open. I run inside as the lights shut on above where ever I step. This really is a bad time for my powers to go out of control.

The bed is my first thought. I lay the bloke down onto the bed in the bedroom and step back to think of what wound to address first.

_Would you like me to take over?_

No ... no, we're merging for this one.

_Sadie, are you sure?_

Yes, now come on.

How to describe merging with Isis? I guess I should start by saying that gods and goddesses are quite choosy their hosts. Isis selected me because we had an astonishingly strong compatibility. That basically means that we can merge more easily than she could merge with another host.

For generations, the Faust and Kane families (containing the Blood of the Pharaohs) hosted the ancient Egyptian gods. Some of them had good compatibility with the gods they hosted, but some did not. Whenever the latter tried to merge with their god, they could be hurt or even driven insane. Sometimes the gods would even absorb their host's soul and take over the body completely. It takes perfect balance between host and god to merge together. Because we're children of both families (Kanes and Fausts), Carter and I can achieve merging more easily than most of our ancestors.

Carter always describes it as a coin landing on its side when you flip it: neither heads nor tails. I always thought of it as trying to land on a tightrope in stiletto heels. If you don't land _perfectly_ on the wire, you fall to one side or the other. In the merged state, my thoughts are Isis's and her thoughts are mine. Our powers combine and grow past what we could normally achieve by ourselves.

The merge is complete in a single instant. The room around us becomes hot and dry like the desert; our skin shimmers with bright light as we see our clothes change to a white, cotton dress with golden jewelry that glitters brightly. Behind us, wings of multicolored light unfurl as we place our hands over the young boy's chest.

Time to set to work.


	2. Busy Morning

- Chapter 2 -

I wake up when I feel something gently nudging my side.

"Sod off, Muffin!" I say with a quiet groan. I finally get to sleep without worrying about other gods watching me, and Bast is trying to wake me up? How cruel is she?

"_Oh, stop whining, Sadie. Time to wake the patient up._"

Patient? What is she talking about?

"_The stray you picked up and healed last night? Remember? Yeah, he's having a nightmare, and if it gets any worse, he might end up hurting himself._"

Stray? Did I bring home another cat? No, that doesn't sound right. Bast would be playing with it if it was another cat. So then who ... bloody mother, the bloke! The one from the alley! I sit up and look around. How did I get to the couch in the living room? I could have sworn we were still in the bedroom when Isis and I fell asleep.

_I do not sleep. I meditate._

"_I changed into my human form and brought you here,_" Bast says and hops off of the couch. She's in her cat form now, so I guess she changed back after she dropped me here. Why did she bring me to the living room, though? There's a chair in the bedroom I could have been perfectly comfortable in.

Snorting, Bast says, "_I would _never_ let you sleep in the same room as any boy other than your brother._"

Throwing my feet over the side of the couch, I stand up and start a brisk walk for the bedroom. There he is: tangled in the sheet, bare chest without a single trace of the cut, black hair tousled in a bad case of bedhead, and looking worse for wear, but much better than when I found him.

Seeing him in daylight is much different than godly night vision. His tanned skin looks healthier, his hair looks darker, and his limbs look more muscled than I can recall them seeming last night. He seems over all more real; more human.

_Look closer. Past his appearance._

Closer. The first observation that jumps to my mind is his scars. He has a collection of little scars all over his body at angles and locations that tell me they can't possibly be self-inflicted. The next that comes to mind is the grey stripe in his hair. What in the world?

_It is forged with powerful, Greek magic. I refused to lift the curse for fear that who so ever cast it upon him might be alerted to our location. This is not my point, though. _Look_ at him, Sadie._

And so I do. It's only then that I realize he's shaking in his sleep. I hear him whimper and murmur something softly under his breath in a deep, desperate voice. What was it that Bast said? A nightmare?

"_I was sleeping next to him when he started tossing and turning. If you keep him asleep much longer, you'll just be torturing him,_" Bast says.

He is under a sleeping spell right now. We cast it last night when we were healing him to assure that he wouldn't wake up when we were in the middle of mending his wounds. Obviously, we hadn't considered the possibility of him having a nightmare.

_A nightmare is naught compared to pain he could have experienced if he was awake when we were binding his skin together._

Regardless, I need to wake him up now.

_His clothes. Clean his clothes first while you can. Conjure a glass for the water, as well._

I nod and wave my hand over the crumbled, orange t-shirt on the floor next to the clay basin of water. The t-shirt mends, cleans, and folds itself while a glass appears next to the basin. I pick the shirt up and crook my finger at the chair. It slides across the room until it is right behind me, next to the bed.

As gently as I can, I place my hand on his sweaty forehead and push warm feelings into him to calm the nightmare to a nice dream. His body relaxes and the smallest of smiles appears on his lips. Releasing the sleeping spell, I sit back in the chair and wait.

His eyes open almost instantly and turn to me. A vivid sea green. It should startle me that he's so alert the second he wakes up, but I suppose that's a given considering he was being attacked by a beast the last time he was awake.

"Hi," I say.

He sits up slowly, as if afraid I'll attack him at any given movement. "Hey."

I pick up the glass and dip it into the basin. After it is filled, I hand the glass to him. "Here."

The bloke stares at it blankly, pratically radiating wariness. He honestly thinks that I'm trying to poison him?

"If I was going to kill you, don't you think I would have done it by now?" I ask and nod my head at the glass in my hand. "Go on, then. Just a few sips."

He cautiously takes the glass and brings it to his lips. After the first sip, he pauses for a contemplating moment before proceeding to drink the rest of it without pause. He then hands the glass back to me with a grin.

"What was that?"

"Water. Purified."

"By who?" he asks.

By me. I can't say that, of course. Instead, I laugh. "By chlorine filters, I suppose."

A sheepish smile appears on his face as he says, "Oh. Right."

I put the glass back into the basin and slide it under the bed, where they both melt into the floor. Best he not have too much of that. While it will give him an energy boost and settle the healing magic on his wounds, if he has too much his body will reject having so much godly power inside of him and he might end up tossing the water back up. Heaven knows that's the last thing he needs at this moment.

When I look back up at him, those green eyes are studying me curiously. He asks, "How did you find me?"

"If you must know, I was walking back to my hotel room-" I pause briefly to gesture around us. "-when I passed by an alley and smelled blood. I found you and took you back here."

"You only found _me _in the alley?"

"Well, no. There was something else there." I frown and consider the idea of lying to him. But no, keeping up with lies is a tedious task that I hardly ever have the patience to maintain. I find stretching the truth is the best way about it: "I was mostly worried about bringing you somewhere safe ... Why? What was it?"

He quickly shakes his head. "I, uh, I don't know. A mugger, probably."

Bast snorts as she curls up next to my foot. Either he's in denial, or he just isn't very good at making excuses.

_Speaking of which, I have to mention my discomfort with this boy. He is mortal, I am sure, and yet he has a strong aura of Greek magic around him. It concerns me._

He was attacked by a Greek monster. Some of the monster's magic probably came off on him.

_That could be true. Please be careful, though._

Naturally. "My name is Sadie Faust."

"Percy Jackson. Nice to meet you. And thanks for ... you know, saving my life, I guess." His expression scrunches up a bit in a cute, confused look as he looks down at himself. "Where's my shirt?"

I hand it to him. "It was covered in blood, so I washed it for you. Sorry about that."

He takes it and quickly tugs it over his head. "If you don't mind me asking, why didn't you call the ambulence or something when you found me?" he asks.

_Honestly! Who does he think he would be in better care with: some mortal doctor with a paper certificate or the goddess of healing magic?_

I shrug and decide to push the truth, again: "Your injuries weren't too much for me to handle. I figured I could save you a talk with your health insurance agency."

"They sure hurt when I went under. But, I guess, thanks," he says with a smile.

"Are you hungry? I ordered breakfast from room service," I say as I stand up.

He moves to the edge of the bed and stands up, as well. "You did?"

I imagine the white table filled with dishes of delicious, morning food and tap my foot against the floor gently. The smell of several different foods hits my nose just seconds later.

I did now.

Percy follows me out of the bedroom and into the main living room area. Sure enough, the table is filled with several dishes that vary between classic American and Egyptian food. Hopefully, he won't notice the Egyptian mixed in.

He doesn't. He's too busy looking around the room with wide eyes. I sit down at the table and begin to put some of the food onto my plate.

"So wait ... are you rich?" he asks as he does the same.

"In a way." I have to change the subject before this gets too personal. Looking up at him from over the plates, I ask, "Are you planning on telling me what happened last night, or am I going to have to trick you into it?"

Percy becomes rigid. "Um, what do you mean?"

"You _know_ what I mean. Whatever else was in that alley wasn't human. My guess is that you know what it is, and my other guess is that you ending up in an alley with it was no coincedence." It's grilling time for Mr. Percy Jackson. I'm fairly certain that he's mortal, but if he isn't he has to go. Now. I won't risk destruction of the world over him.

He is quiet for an unbearably long time. Finally, Percy shakes his head and says, "I don't know what it was. It was dark last night. I was just walking down the street when something grabbed me and pulled me into the alley. I fought as hard as I could."

What I wouldn't give for the feather of truth right now. Normally, I can tell if people are lying to me thanks to my powers, but Percy has too much Greek magic surrounding him right now for me to tell.

"... Alright. I believe you. But if you _are_ lying to me," I point to the door to my balcony and say, "I'll push you off of the building."

Percy swallows loudly and I can't help but laugh at his reaction. He starts laughing to. It feels good to laugh, especially after having that argument with Carter before I left. Maybe Manhattan was exactly what I needed, after all: a good night's sleep, a new person, and a chance to laugh.

After the laughter dies down, Percy looks around the room and asks, "So, does anyone else live here?"

"No. Though, I don't live here, either."

"You don't?"

"I'm only staying here for a week."

"Oh. Where do you live?"

"Brooklyn."

"What about you?" I ask quickly before he can interview me further about my home.

"My mom lives in Manhattan," Percy says, looking extremely uncomfortable about the topic.

I decide to give him some mercy and change the subject. "How old are you? Fourteen?"

"Fifteen." He lifts an eyebrow at the random subject.

One year older than my older brother. If I hadn't just turned thirteen, I would be three years younger than him. Not that two years is much better of an age gap. Although it sounds shallow, I dislike spending time with people older than myself. It normally gives them a reason to belittle me. He doesn't seem to be the belittling type though, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Well, just keep in mind the fact that _I_ saved _you_. You were saved by a thirteen-year-old girl," I say smugly.

"Shh! Someone might hear!" Percy says, but the smile on his face gives him away.

"Oh, shut it." I roll my eyes, but stop when they land on the hotel phone. "Do you want to ring your mum and tell her where you are?"

Percy looks over at the phone nervously. "Can I ... do it in private? There are some things I need to tell her ..."

"Got something to hide, eh?" I wave my hand towards the bedroom. "Go ahead."

He stands up and, forgetting the phone entirely, walks for the bedroom. I clear my throat and he pratically jumps. Percy shoots me a simper before he carefully picks up the wireless phone, after which he disappears into the bedroom and shuts the door behind him. What an odd boy.

"_There's something off about him, Sadie,_" Bast says.

I look below the table to where she is curled up below my chair. "What do you mean?"

Bast cracks one of her eyes open and says in a lazy tone, "_Can't you feel it? He is hiding something. About where he lives, about his parents, and about what happened to him last night._"

"Even so, it isn't as though he'll attack me ... Is it?"

She shifts in place and opens both eyes, showing me an uneasy look. "_No, he doesn't smell like hostility. But I know his type: always attracting danger to himself. Which says all the more about _you_ being the one to find him. You are better off sending him on his way now before you become too attached to him._"

_I agree, Sadie. Remember where we are. What we came here for._

"I'm not becoming attached to him! At best, he's an acquaintance! That isn't even the real problem here, is it? The problem is that having a boy living with me is a major blow to the 'Fate Deems That Goddess Sadie Can Never Be Happy In A Relationship!' policy!" I let my forehead hit the surface of the table. "I suppose you'll be mentioning Anubis soon, won't you?"

Neither of them say a word. I have a feeling that I might have been a bit too harsh. They're only trying to keep me from getting hurt, again.

_Exactly. This is why I think you should take the vow of chastity. The magic keeps you from gaining interest of any kind in males._

"Isis-"

_Yes, yes, I _know_. There is always hope that you will find the right one and whatnot._

Some sort of disturbance consumes the air, and conversation between us stills. It feels like a large burst of magic has come from somewhere very nearby. I can't quite identify it, which most likely means that it's Greek magic.

Bast's fur stands on edge as she springs to her feet. I hear a long growl comes from her throat. "_Do you feel that?_"

"Yeah."

_It came from the bedroom._

I fly up from my chair and run towards the door. I swear to god, if there is a monster attacking him in there, I'll kill the monster and _then_ I'll kill Percy for not calling for help! My hand tries the knob, but the door is locked. I slam my hand on it and unlock it like I did last night with the front door.

The bedroom is empty. _Ra_, where _is_ he?

Bast flies past me and stops in front of the door to the loo, which is closed. She scratches it with her paw and says, "_In here._"

"Percy? Open up, Percy!" I do the unlocking trick with the door, and it swings open. Percy is standing in the middle of the steam-filled bathroom, waving his hand over the air above the sink and staring at me with shocked eyes. The Greek magic is fading. I lean against the doorway and let out a small groan. "You _scared_ me."

"What's wrong?" Percy asks.

I glare at him. "Oh _no_, don't you _dare_ try to divert attention! What were you doing in here? And that! What is that thing where you wave your hand above the sink?"

"It was getting too steamy so I was fanning it out a little." He shrugs, but his eyes still look nervous.

"Why were you running the water?"

"Some people like to wash their hands after they use the toilet, you know."

Oh. But then, where did the magic come from?

_I sense deception in his excuse._

What? I look back at Percy and narrow my eyes. "What about calling your mum?"

He shrugs. "I did it already. Figured I would use the bathroom after I did." He pauses and then says, "Now can I ask what happened? You came in here freaking out."

"_Something isn't right with this boy, Sadie. Monster attack or not, that Greek magic came from _him_!_" Muffin says as she hisses at him.

He lied. The little bugger _lied_ to me. It _was_ no coincedence that he ended up with that monster. "You liar!"

"What?" he asks, backing into the sink unsurely.

"What are you, Percy? And don't lie to me, again! I want to know what you were doing in here, and I want to know _now_!"

"How do you-"

"Now!"

His eyes look from left to right, trying to find an alternate exit, but not succeding. Percy looks back at me, then to Muffin, then to the floor, and finally back to me. He groans and slaps a hand to his forehead with dread.

I cross my arms and tap my foot impatiently. "If you're quite done now, I would like my answer."

"Ok." Percy takes in a deep breath and looks up at me, looking his own gaze with mine. "Ok, I'll tell you. But you have to _promise_ not to freak out or call the cops on me, though."

"We'll see."

He hesitates at my answer, but then shakes his head and says, "My dad is the Greek god Poseidon, and I live at a camp for demigods. I was trying to contact them just now before you came in."

Oh my god.

_You see? You cannot even throw a stone in this town without hitting a child of some Greek god or another!_

God. Percy ... Percy is ...

_Which would explain why I thought him to be a mortal. He is half-mortal, after all. The Greek magic is explained by this, as well._

"Sadie?"

"Get out."

"What?"

I point to the door, hating myself for saying it, yet knowing that I need to. "Get out, Percy."

"I'm not crazy! I swear!" He turns the faucet of the sink and lets more hot water and steam pour out of it. "Here, do you want me to show-"

"No!"

Percy stops what he's doing and turns back to me unsurely. "Sadie?"

"Please ... please, just get out of here."

"But why? You believe me, right?"

"Go!"

Shuffling out of the door, Percy disappears from sight. I hear the front door of the hotel room shut only moments later, plummeting Bast and I into tense silence.

"_It would have been worse if you had kept him around and found out later,_" Bast offers sympathetically.

I let a small sigh escape my lips and nod. "It would have been worse, yes. Still he would have made a good friend."

_No use dwelling on what could have been._

"Let's just hope his father won't be hearing about this, then." Or Carter will have my head. If the Greek gods don't have it first, that is.


	3. On the Subway

**- Chapter 3 -**

After the Percy fiasco, Isis firmly declared that I wouldn't be going outside of the hotel room, again ...

The streets are pretty crowded at this time of day. I almost feel a bit claustrophobic. Not to mention lonely. Bast utterly refused to come the second I mentioned that I'd be taking the subway, and Isis is currently providing an impressive feat of "cold shoulder." It is hard to realize how used you've grown to having voices constantly speaking in your head and reading your thoughts until they're gone.

As it is, the only thing going through my head right now is the music from my iPod. Although I have to blast it in order to drown out the sound of the crowd in my subway cart.

The second that last thought passes through my head, all of the noise shuts off. I look around the cart to find that no one is suddenly missing and there isn't someone holding a gun or causing a commotion; they've all just stopped talking by chance. At the same time. Skeptical? I know I am.

"Why now?"

The voice is that of a young girl sitting next to me: short, red hair, green eyes, green jumper dress, and a stuffed bird toy in her arms. She must be no older than six or seven. What in Ra's name is she doing riding the subway by herself?

"It's getting harder and harder to maintain peace as things are; we'll be in war very shortly. I don't understand why you would pick _now_ to try and negotiate a truce," she says.

"Excuse me?"

Squeezing the bird toy in her hands, she says, "We aren't ready to talk to you. You should just go back from where you came."

"Who is we?"

"Us."

I can't help but smile, despite the strange conversation. She really is a cute, little girl. I put my hand on top of her head and say, "Where is your mum?"

"District of Columbia."

"Well what is she doing there when you're here?" I ask, mostly to myself. Could her mother be a politician? If so, then where is her father? Oh gods, I hope that she's not a runaway. Of course I'll have to return her if she is. And that kind of attention is something I really don't need right now.

The way that she stares at me is unnerving. As if she doesn't quite know what to think of me. "The appellate court is in session. She has to oversee the proceedings."

I could have sworn the Chief Justice here was a bloke. Oh, well. "Where is your dad, then?"

"Probably preparing."

"For what?"

"For the war."

"I'm fairly certain the war is already over."

She shakes her head and says seriously, "The war is going to begin very soon. I have tried to hold it off for as long as I can, but the time is drawing near."

_It is just as I feared._

Well look who's finally decided to thaw out her shoulder.

_We must leave Manhattan, Sadie._

Leave? Why? We've only been here for two days.

_It only takes one day to start a war._

What do you mean 'a war?'

_It seems the Greeks are in a worse condition than I had originally thought them to be. They are about to plunge themselves into a war._

With us?

_No, with their enemies._

Who are their enemies?

"Kronos," the girl explains. "A war between Kronos and the Olympians will start very soon. Which is why we can't even considered working out a truce with the Egyptians right now."

_We are not looking to settle a truce._

"Wait just a minute!" I exclaim, the sound almost echoeing through the quiet cart. No eye nor ear seems to be turned in our direction, despite the fact that we are the only ones talking or doing _anything_ in our cart right now. Which, come to think of it, is a strange thing in itself.

_What is it, Sadie?_

I turn back to the girl. "Who are you, really? And don't you dare lie."

"I'm Irene, the goddess of peace," she says. As though it's _such_ a given.

"I suppose this means the Olympians already know about me being here then?" I ask, resisting the urge to sigh. I should have known infiltrating their headquarters wouldn't be so easy.

Again, she shakes her head. "No. I'm the only one, as far as I know. And even that is only because of chance."

"Because of chance?" I repeat curiously.

She smiles. "We happened to pick the same subway. I wouldn't have been able to find you if I was looking for you: your presence is very hard to detect, especially with all of that Egyptian magic you have. Are you a goddess?"

"You didn't know?"

She shrugs her shoulders very slightly. "I had a guess."

"You won't tell them about me, will you? I'm not exactly supposed to be here right now." Yes, though I hate to admit it, I have been reduced to begging a six-year-old girl. There are lives at stake, though. Namely, mine.

Looking confused, she says, "I will have to tell them about you eventually. How else would we settle the truce?"

_We are _not_ looking for a truce! Do listen the first time we say something, child!_

Isis! Some manners, please? Or need I remind you that she can turn us into the Olympians whenever she feels like it?

"If you aren't here to settle a truce, why _are_ you here?" Irene asks.

_She was feeling paranoid._

"Paranoid?"

I was _not_! Shut up, Isis!

_She felt the other gods were watching her too closely and so she ran._

"I see. So then, who am I talking to right now?" Irene asks.

_I am Isis, queen of the gods._

"_I'm_ queen of the gods," I say.

_We both are._

Irene tilts her head to the side slightly. "How does that work?"

"It _doesn't_ work, is the problem," I say, rolling my eyes. "My name is Sadie, by the way."

She nods and says, "You should probably return to your family. Now isn't a good time for you to visit Manhattan."

"Because of the war?"

"Y-yes," Irene says, sniffling. She drops her head and hugs her little bird just as she begins to cry. "I'll have to go into hiding soon. Peace is nearly inexistant during times of war, you know."

Oh god, what do you do when the six-year-old goddess next to you starts crying? Comfort her? What if she tries to smite me or something?

_Be realisitic, Sadie; she is the goddess of peace._

"Hey there, you don't need to cry," I say, cursing my voice for coming out in an awkward tone. I've never been one for comforting others. "Do you ... want some ice cream?"

She looks up, green eyes glistening at me through fat tears. "I'd prefer ambrosia. Do you have any?"

Ambrosia? What in Sekmet's mane is ambrosia?

_Food of the Greek gods, I believe._

They have their own _food_? I pat my pockets and try for a smile. "Fresh out."

"Oh," she says softly as her tears start to pour, again.

"Alright, I'll make something for you. Just - just _stop crying_, ok?" I say and glance around us.

The people aren't looking this way (most likely still under what ever spell Irene has over them), but I'd rather not take that chance. I wave my hand and all of the mortals in our cart vanish. They'll appear in the other carts of our subway; I'm not _that_ heartless. When I wave my hand, again, a warm glass appears in my grasp. I hand it to her.

Peering just over the rim of the glass, she asks, "What is it?"

"Sahlab," I say, recalling the first time I had this drink. What I can make isn't nearly as good as Nut can, but it still tastes fine, in my opinion. "You know hot chocolate, right? It's like hot vanilla."

She brings the glass to her lips and takes a very small taste of it. The lights in the cart brighten considerably as her face splits into a large, toothy smile. Goddess or no, _that_ is adorable. Should I be frightened that this little girl is an immortal diety?

_You are an immortal diety, as well._

That's different.

_How so?_

Because it is.

_Brilliant response._

I liked it better when you were ignoring me.

_Well _I_ "liked it better" when we were still in Brooklyn._

Clutching her glass in between two, small hands, Irene looks back up at me and asks, "Why are you taking the subway?"

"I went to the library. To get a book, maybe."

"A book about what?"

_About _Greek_ mythology._

"You want to learn about Greek mythology?" Irene asks.

_Because of that demigod boy she met earlier. What was his name? Perry? Peter?_

"Percy?" Irene offers as her green eyes grow wide. "Percy Jackson?"

"You know him?" I ask.

"Percy is well known, even in the world of the gods. Many are putting their faith in his hands for the upcoming war."

_Why am I not at all surprised that the Greeks are putting their faith in the hands of a pubescent half-god with the brain of a fish?_

"That voice in your head ..." Irene pauses, frowning. "I don't like her."

"Neither do I."

_You two are not my ideal company, either._

"How do you know Percy?" she asks.

I fight back a frown and say, "Isis and I found him after he had a run-in with a monster. Do you know why any monsters would attack him?"

"Actually there are several reasons why monsters would attack him. Ranging from the possibility of that monster working for Kronos to the possibility that it just liked Percy's scent."

"Monsters here attack you if they like your scent?"

Irene says, "They won't attack us. Probably not, anyway. We have too much power for them; they aren't very smart, but they know enough about survival to not blindly attack a goddess based on her scent."

"Always nice to know these things ..."

"Percy runs into monsters quite often from what I hear. Unfortunately, with situations like Percy's, my work can't reach them very easily. Demigods don't normally ever settle peacefully and happily for the rest of their lives," Irene says as she solemnly traces circles onto the surface of the bench next to her.

"So they're doomed from birth?" I ask sarcastically. I don't believe in the concept of a cursed fate; if your life stinks, it's because you made it that way.

Frowning, Irene says, "Half-bloods don't make their lives that way."

"How do you know?"

"Because _no one _would want to make their lives that way."

"Well, putting aside his predetermined woes, I won't be seeing him, again. I healed him, found out who his father is, and sent him on his way."

"You healed him?"

I don't like the way she says that. With uncertainty, I say, "Yes?"

"Then he'll be back," she says and smiles.

"No he won't."

She nods her head firmly. "He will. If there is one thing a demigod knows well, it's to take help when ever and where ever he can get it."

"You make him sound like a stray dog."

"That might not be so far from the truth."

Regardless of whether or not he is stray-dog-like, he'll be getting the boot if he shows up in front of me, again. Which, with any luck, won't even happen. If I can get home, that is. My eyes leave Irene to scan around the empty subway cart. Just how long _is_ it to the next station?

_The girl goddess has made our trip longer than it needs to be, obviously._

"I just wanted to talk to you for a bit," Irene explains meekly. The subway suddenly starts to slow down, and so I guess we must be approaching a station.

I stand up, but can't help looking back at her. Should I really leave her here? "Where are you going from here?"

A sad smile comes to her face, "I need to find a place to hide for the war. A place far from Manhattan."

"I see. I guess Brooklyn is out of the question, then?"

"Is that where the home of the Egyptian gods is?"

The subway comes to a stop and I out of the nearest door. "We keep our palace somewhere a _little_ more remote than the New York Boroughs."

Irene calls after me, "Leave Manhattan soon, Sadie. You might not be able to later on."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I ask, poking my head back inside the cart. Only she isn't there anymore. The people I had banished from the cart earlier are back on it and just now beginning to pour out of it as other people are coming in. There is no trace of Irene even having been there.

_What an odd girl._

"Without a doubt."

Making my way out of the subway station, I emerge back on the street and start off in the direction of my hotel.

That last comment she made bothers me. She can't know that I would get stuck here if I stayed too long. Brooklyn is only on the other side of the river, after all. How could I possibly become stuck here? Not even to mention the fact that I only plan to spend a week here.

_Plenty can happen in a week._

And plenty can _not_ happen in a week. Is it so wrong for me to think that I'm going to have an _innocent_ week of relaxation in a luxorious hotel, away from Carter and the prying eyes of the gods? I don't think it is.

_You are ranting, Sadie._

Then let me rant, Isis. Gods know I need to blow off some steam while I'm here, or I might end up snapping in the middle of court.

_I would never let that happen._

You might not have a choice in the matter if things keep going as they have.

_Is that a threat?_

Not unless you want it to be.

Stepping through the revolving door of the hotel, I take in a deep breath and shut my eyes for a moment to listen to the chorus of murming voices and clacking of heels against the tile. Everyone seems to be walking every-which-way here, talking on their phones or typing something into their laptops. Carter would love this: seeing people moving about like busy bees in a hive. That sort of stuff reminds him that everyone has a purpose, he once told me.

_You miss him._

No I don't. I walk to the elevators and step in with a few other adults. They only spare me a few seconds of attention before deciding that I'm not worth it and turning back to their own matters. One by one, the elevator stops and the people get off, until I'm the last one left. After a slow while later, the doors open up to the 77th floor.

_God_, why is this happening?

"Hey, Sadie," Percy says, simpering from where he's sitting against the wall next to my hotel room door. As though I _didn't_ kick him out. As though he's _supposed_ to be here. As though he _doesn't_ currently have a passed out girl leaning against his shoulder.

"No," I say. Short and simple. Hopefully, he'll get the message.

He either doesn't hear me or ignores me. "This is Annabeth. I went out looking for her and found her not too far from where I got attacked. She, uh, she won't wake up. I think she might've hit her head."

"No," I repeat. Maybe he really is like a dog; you need to say "no" several times in a stern tone to get rid of him.

"Come on! I know my injuries were worse than you said they were, and I know they didn't heal naturally." Biting his bottom lip uncertainly, he looks to Annabeth, and then back to me. "All I'm asking is that you do to her what you did to me. No questions asked, and we'll leave as soon as she's awake."

"No." I walk past him and open my door, then shut it behind me.

The hotel room is quiet and dark. It only makes it that much easier to recall who is currently in the hall, just on the other side of the door behind me. The same person who hasn't moved at all so far. I listen for the sound of him standing up, shifting around, talking, doing _anything_, but nothing comes. He doesn't move.

Gods _above_! Swinging the door open, I fix him with a glare and say, "Fine. Bring her in."


	4. Back to Where We Started

**- Chapter 4 -**

When did I become such a push over? Can someone please tell me that?

_I warned you._

Oh, did you now?

_I warned you not to become attached. To think! Befriending a Greek god's son!_

It wasn't exactly intentional!

_Now he has brought his friend to you! And she nearly _exudes_ the smell of Greek magic! How disgusting!_

Alright, that's enough from you. Quiet. What I need is some quiet so that I can think.

"_Think about what?_" Bast inquires as she trots into the room.

"About this. All of it," I say. My hands find the chair in my room, and I sit down with a relieved sigh. I've been hunched over Percy's friend for nearly thirty minutes now, healing her patiently and listening to Isis' furious comments echoing through my head the entire time. It can make one more than a bit tired.

"_You could have turned him away_," Bast offers, jumping into my lap.

I run my hand through her fur and try to imagine what it would have been like if I hadn't opened the door and told him to come in. If I hadn't even found him in that alley. But ... no, Percy was injured. So is his friend. There's no way I would have been able to turn either of them away.

Bast nods her head slightly. "_It isn't your nature to ignore people who need help, Sadie._"

People who need help, huh? I look back to the girl on my bed. What did Percy say her name was again? Anne Marie? Anna Lee? I can't remember.

Her worst injury was on the back of her head; a handful of hairline fractures on the back of her skull, slight swelling due to blunt trauma, and blood. Plenty of blood. The way the injury is angled, it seems as though someone took a _club_ to the poor girl's cranium. Other than the head injury, there were minor scrapes and bruises along her upper half and a twisted ankle. All of which I fixed.

After I changed her clothes (I had banished Percy to the living room long before this point) from an orange t-shirt (the very same as Percy's) and jeans into a pair of my own pajamas, I set to work cleaning her of any dried blood with a wet wash cloth. She looked a lot better after I finished cleaning her.

Anna Lee is Percy's age, obviously. I had to wash her hair to properly check her head injury, but now that it's dry, it falls in nice, blond curls (she and Percy have the same grey stripe in their hair, making me wonder what it means) that fall to her shoulders. She really is a pretty girl; I wonder for a moment if she is Percy's girlfriend. They would look good together. In my mind, at least.

"_They are looking for us,_" Bast says. She adds on, "_The gods of our court, I mean._"

I look down at her in surprise. "Have they found us?"

Bast snorts. "_Of course not. Even if they dared to come to Manhattan, our hotel room right now has too much Greek magic in it for them to sense us here._"

_How do you know they are looking for us?_

"_Some of my followers came to me while you were out talking to that Greek goddess. Apparently, your brother has sent out his hawks to search up and down the country for you. And rumors indicate that he's far from happy._"

_Perhaps we should return early?_

"You're only saying that because you want to be Queen again," I say to Isis.

_And if I am? Be mindful, Sadie; Horus has never been adept at controlling his temper._

"_She's right. He likes to release his anger out onto the wrong people. The other gods in court might be meeting the brunt of his wrath as we speak,_" Bast says solemnly.

"Enough, you two. Carter will keep him under control," I say and stand up. "I need something to eat."

I walk out of the bedroom and shut the door behind me. Anna Lee should be ok after her swelling goes down and the healing magic settles. She'll probably be awake within the next few hours, as a matter of fact. I pass through the living room and into the kitchen. Immediately, I begin opening cabinets and pulling out ingredients (they appear in the cabinets for me when I will them to) for a ham and cheese sannie.

Percy waists no time in joining me in the kitchen, though he stands on the other side; carefully keeping a good distance between us as I move around the kitchen. I have to hand it to him that he lasts fairly long in the silence before breaking down to ask:

"How is she?"

"She'll wake up in a few hours with a headache, at the worst."

He lets out a deep breath and laughs a little to himself. "Oh, good. ... Thanks, Sadie."

"You're welcome," I say, smearing some mayo onto a slice of bread.

"So, how have you been?" he asks awkwardly.

I look up at him to show him a disbelieving expression. "Fine. And you?"

"Good." He nods.

I turn my attention back down to my meal, expecting that to be the extent of our conversation until Anna Lee wakes up and they leave together. As with most things in this town, however, I'm wrong.

"You're not going to tell anyone, are you?" he asks.

"Tell anyone what?"

"About the gods and the monsters. About us. I mean, I doubt anyone will believe you, anyway, but it can be dangerous. For you, and for the people around you," Percy says.

"Well-" I pause to pick up my plate and move towards the table. He follows me there. We sit down together, and I fix my stare directly at him. "-you're not going to tell anyone about me, are you?"

He repeats in confusion, "About you?"

I gesture to the bedroom door. "The healing. This hotel room. _Me_."

"Oh. No, I'm not going to."

"Then I won't tell anyone about your monsters and gods," I say with a nod and take my first bite. Delicious.

Percy taps his fingers on the table for a minute or so, looking like he desparately wants to ask something. I try to ignore him, really I do. But the constant, off beat thumping coming from that side of the table keeps pounding my eardrums like an annoying fly.

Setting down my food, I say, "Out with it!"

He looks surprised for only a moment, but then asks, "What are you?"

"What am I?"

"Yeah, you know ... you can magically heal people, but you look human to me."

I cross my arms and say, "It was my understanding that there would be '_no questions asked._'"

"Come on, Sadie. Wouldn't you ask if you were in my shoes?"

"No," I say and pick up eating again. In between bites, I add on to that last answer, "Not if the person I was asking could kick me out of this hotel room whenever she wanted."

He looks back at the bedroom door uncertainly. "I told you; we'll leave as soon as she wakes up."

"And never come back?" I ask expectantly.

Percy turns back to me at this, looking confused. He suddenly groans and leans over to let his head restly on the table. Without even looking at me, he says, "I don't get you."

"You don't need to."

"I'm serious, Sadie! One second you're all friendly and welcoming, and the next second you're telling me to get out of here and never come back! It's got something to do with my dad, right? He's really Poseidon! I'm not lying, and I'm not crazy, either!"

"I know you're not."

"Then _why_?" Percy asks.

I feel Bast's fur suddenly brushing against my ankle reassuringly. "_You owe him an answer._"

I owe him nothing. If anything, he owes me.

_I agree! How _dare _he ask such a bold question to us! And we are even granting him permission to stay here out of the kindness of our hearts!_

"_You let him in here, Sadie. You should have known from the second he walked through the door that he would have more questions._"

Then I made the mistake of assuming he would keep his word when he said he wouldn't ask those questions.

"_He was right when he asked you to put yourself in his shoes. If it was you in his situation, you wouldn't budge a single step without getting an answer to all of your questions._"

"Sadie?" Percy asks.

Regardless, I can't just tell him _everything_. It would put all of us in risk.

"_We're already in risk with him here, Sadie,_" Bast reminds smartly.

Then I'll make him leave.

We both look over when the door of the bedroom opens. Anna Lee walks out of it, expression steeled and prepared for anything. She's woken up much sooner than expected, obviously. Though that Greek magic around her might have something to do with it.

She probably hadn't expected to find Percy and I chatting at a table over lunch, according to her surprised expression. It quickly slips back into her serious mask.

"Percy ... where are we?" she asks.

Percy waves her over to the seat next to his. "Hey, how are you?"

"Fine. Which brings another question in itself." She very stiffly walks over to the chair and sits down, staring at me the entire time. "Who are you?"

"This is Sadie Faust. This is her hotel room," Percy explains. He turns to me and says, "Sadie, this is Annabeth Chase."

Ah, Annabeth. Whoops. I never was particularly good at remembering names. Anyway, this Annabeth girl is studying me intently now, as if trying to judge whether I'm a friend or foe. It gives me a chance to see her eyes for the first time; they're grey, as odd as that sounds.

I ask, "Is she like you?"

Percy nods. "She's Athena's daugther."

"Percy!" Annabeth says, glancing back at my with poorly concealed worry.

"It's ok. She's cool," Percy pauses here and adds thoughtfully, "At least, I _think_ she is."

"What does that mean?" Annabeth asks warily.

Pointing towards the front door of the hotel room, I say, "It means you need to leave now."

"No problem." She stands up and turns her head to Percy, her fists clenched like she's ready to defend herself if I suddenly decide to attack her. "Let's go."

"Wait!" he calls after her as she begins to walk towards the door. Percy stands up, saying, "Sadie's the one who healed you!"

Annabeth stops walking. So close. I was _so close_ to getting them to leave! Why is this so hard?

She turns around and looks right at me. "No, she didn't."

"Yes, she did!" Percy says.

Annabeth stays still for a few seconds of thought. Suddenly, she walks back to the table and says, "When I woke up, I was covered in unfamiliar magic. It wasn't like anything I've ever felt, and that is coming from someone who has been healed by the gods before."

"So what?" I ask.

"So what are you?" she asks. Have I heard this somewhere before? Oh, yeah, during Percy's interrogation _5 minutes ago_.

I shrug a bit. "I'm Sadie."

Annabeth says, "You're not mortal, but not a monster or a goddess. You don't feel like a demigod, either."

"What about a witch?" Percy suggests.

"Could be." She nods her head.

"I'm _not_ a witch," I object in offense.

"Then what are you?" she asks.

Just as I open my mouth to snap out a retort, something ... _disturbing_ hits me. It's a strange feeling, as if something has just turned very, _very_ wrong. Bast starts hissing quietly as I feel her fur puff out threateningly. Percy looks completely oblivious to what's going on (Annabeth has been on guard this entire time to begin with), but I forget about them quickly when Bast goes sprinting off towards the door to the balcony. She stands in front of it and yowls a high pitched sound that makes my ears hurt.

"Whoa, what's wrong with your cat?" Percy asks as he watches her curiously.

I turn back to the two of them and glare with every ounce of fury I have in me. "Who'd you call?"

His gaze snaps back to me and his eyebrows raise in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Who did you call?"

The room begins shaking wildly, knocking over decorations and making the chandelier rock wildly.

"We didn't call anyone!" Percy exclaims as he looks around the room. His hand leaves the table top and begins to drop lower to some place on his person I can't see, but it freezes, as though he's thought better of grabbing for whatever he was originally going to.

Annabeth, though, doesn't seem to have any problems as she whips out a bronze dagger and inches back, looking around the room cautiously.

I point to the door of the balcony, shouting, "Then why has something powerful and most definitely _Greek_ just landed _on my balcony_?"

Percy takes a bit to understand the meaning of my question, but finally he says, "You think we _called_ it here?"

"Leave! Never come back!" I shout and stand up, running towards the balcony door.

Annabeth stays in her defensive position, but Percy follows after me in a quick walk. He says, "We didn't call anyone!"

I grab the handle of the door and pull it open quickly. Bast dashes out of the door faster than a bolt of lightning, and I chase after her, too. Let's hope whatever is on my balcony can run away quickly; I _won't_ be going easy on any unwanted visitors to my hotel room. _Especially_ on my vacation!


	5. An Alliance

- Chapter 5 -

_Oh no._

It's a man. He's tall, around his mid-forties, with peppered hair and a hardy expression. Dressed like a postman. A postman with a wings sprouting out of his hat and his shoes. The wings aren't what unsettle me, though: with Irene, I had to search and squint for the faint sensation of Greek magic surrounding her. This man radiates it.

Which, of course, begs the reaction:

"Bast," I snap.

She transforms into her human form of black hair, golden eyes, and leopard-print leotard. Out come her two knives moments later. She crouches in front of me, every visible muscle seeming to coil like a spring, ready to pounce on him at the next given cue.

"Whoa."

I spare a quick glance over to the doorway to the hotel room, where Percy is watching Bast with amazement. Annabeth appears behind his shoulder, watching me warily with a tight grip on her dagger. Their eyes both transfer from Bast, to myself, and then to the not-really-postman.

Percy steps outside with us, opening his mouth to say something, but snaps it shut a moment later when his gaze flickers over to me. He stops, rephrases whatever he was going to say in his head, and then he tries again, addressing the postman, "Hey, man, what are you doing here?"

"Hello, Percy," he responds pleasantly, but something about the tone is off. He tosses Percy the small, brown-wrapped package in his hand and says, "Delivery."

"Oh. Thanks," Percy says, catching the package and walking up to him. The postman holds out a clipboard, which Percy signs.

And maybe it's the shock of my adrenaline cutting off, or maybe it's the hesitation to react when Bast already looks ready to attack at any moment, or maybe it's even just that this day has been so horribly _long_ already, and I just don't have any more thought capacity in me, but I'm frozen to the spot, staring at Percy and the postman with what I know must be an impressively blank expression.

The postman pulls his clipboard away when Percy is done, and then he looks over to me. Well, he actually glances at Bast first. Then to me.

"You aren't welcome here," Bast says, a growl under her tone that threatens pain.

"I think it's the other way around," he says, giving a lopsided smile. Holding out his hand, he says, "I'm Hermes, by the way. Nice to finally meet you."

A god. I turn to Percy. Calm, calmly now, Sadie. I say neutrally, "You brought a god to my hotel room."

"Well-" Percy looks over at the god sheepishly and says, "Well, yeah, I kind of did. But it was an accident!"

_Introduce us, Sadie._

Why should I?

_Courtesy. This meeting can occur in many different manners, and I would like to steer it towards the most positive direction possible._

I give Percy and Annabeth a quick look. It's the point of no return, isn't it?

_Yes_.

I say grudgingly, "I'm Sadie." I point to my own forehead and say, "This is Isis." Then I point to Bast. "That's Bast. We're from Brooklyn."

Hermes chuckles and runs a hand through his hair. The muscles in his arm are flexed so tightly that I can only imagine the stress boiling under his surface. He says, "This is a _really_ bad time for you to be here."

"So we've heard," I say, scuffing my shoe against the cement anxiously.

Curious, he asks, "You've heard?"

"Word around the subway," I say smartly.

_Respect._

Respect. Right. "Excuse me-" I cringe; the "respectful" tone I was going for just sounds awry coming from me. I try again: "Could you please-" No, still not right. Oh, bugger me. I give up. "Are you going to tell on me?"

A ringing sound comes from his pocket. He pulls out his mobile, flips it open, checks the screen, and then shuts it again. There is anxiety in his expression that mirrors my own as he looks back up to me, but it is so well hidden that I doubt anyone lacking godly senses could detect it.

"I think this would be better discussed inside," Hermes says resolutely. He turns to the only part-mortals on the balcony, cracking a smile. "Percy, Annabeth, I think you two should probably leave. The Camp must being falling apart without you two there."

"I'm sorry, sir, but I'd like to know what's going on," Annabeth says. She has a brilliant poker face, I'll hand that to her. There is a strength in her eyes that makes her seem like she has the courage in her to stand up to the gods without even blinking.

_Much like yourself. Unfortunately._

Hermes' smile twitches a little, but he nods his head. Annabeth and Percy walk into the hotel room. I turn back to see Bast jerking her head in the direction of the door, angrily ordering Hermes to walk in after me. He gives her a friendly smile and follows me in, Bast on his heels with her knives an ever-present threat.

_Desist, Bast._

She loosens her stance slightly as we all sit down in the living room area, but the fire in her eyes doesn't dim. She's ready to fight, like the warrioress she really is.

Hermes, sitting on the end of the other couch, folds his hands together on his lap and grins. "Why don't we start with the voice in your head?"

"The what?" Percy asks.

I take in his confused expression, knowing that, by the end of this hour, he's more than likely going to see me in a completely different light. One that I more than likely won't like to be seen in. But it's too late to change my mind now.

It takes about an hour to explain the whole thing. They tell me about the Greek world here and the demigod system, about Camp Half-Blood, too. I tell them about my family's situation, the releasing of the gods from the Rosetta Stone, the journey to find my father, our combining with the gods, our banishing of Apophis, the meeting of the gods where Carter and I chose to form with Isis and Horus permanently. I even mentioned my argument with Carter, and how I got here.

"Just to clarify, the Egyptian gods have vessels they possess?" Annabeth asks. Hermes seems genuinely interested, too.

I give her a dark look. "I'm not a 'vessel.' Yes, Isis lives in my head, but that doesn't make me her vessel."

"But you live together now. Joined as one," Annabeth says.

"Sadly."

Isis scoffs in my head.

"So - so, wait. You're the _queen_? As in, _Hera _status?" Percy asks, looking a combination a confusion and panic.

"Hera?" I repeat after, looking over to Annabeth.

She nods. "The Greeks would probably equate Hera with Isis because of their similar positions and domains." Her grey eyes suddenly spark up with a new light. She says excitedly, "I haven't done extensive research on Egyptian mythology - there didn't seem to be a need to before - but _now_ ..."

"You came here on vacation?" Hermes asks, drawing attention to himself.

I sigh. "I already know it was an idiotic thing to do, alright?"

"It could mean war for us. Not that we're not already about to go to war," Hermes says, something dark coming across his expression. The same seriousness appears on Percy and Annabeth's faces.

"I heard a war is going to start soon between the Greeks. And that a lot of hope is being put on him," I say, pointing to Percy. I add sarcastically, "Good choice, by the way."

"Hey!" Percy says.

Annabeth puts a hand on his arm and then asks Hermes, "Do you think a war could start between the Greek and Egyptian pantheon, too?"

Hermes shakes his head solemnly. "Can't be sure. I've worked for Zeus for ... well, forever, and I still can't predict his reactions to certain things. The Egyptians are one of those things."

"Do you think we can hide the fact that Sadie came here until after the war with Kronos is finished?" Percy asks.

"Or-" Annabeth breaks it, something dangerous glinting in her eyes. "-we could not hide it. Better yet, we could _publicize_ it."

"Is she mental?" I ask, disbelieving. I turn to face her. "Are you mental?"

"Think about it! If Kronos knows that the Greeks are forming an alliance with the Egyptians, it could scare him off. At the very least, it could cause a majority of his soldiers to abandon his army. We could stop the war before it even started!" she explains. I can already sense the plan forming in her head.

Percy holds up a hand and says hesitantly, "But we're _not_ forming an alliance with the Egyptians." He gives me uncertain look. "Not yet, I mean."

"Kronos doesn't need to know that, though," Hermes says. His eyes are focused on the ground in thought and a grin is tugging at his lips. He pulls out his mobile. "I need to run this by someone. Athena, maybe. See if she thinks it could work."

"Wait," I say, standing up. "You lot may be alright with outing me to the Greek world, but I'm certainly not comfortable with it. From what you've said, your Zeus doesn't sound very forgiving. If he decides he hates the Egyptians more than he hates Kronos, _I'll_ be the one taking the brunt of his wrath."

Hermes stands up, too, with the most serious expression I've seen him wear since he arrived. He says, "Your next court session is in four days, right?" I nod. "I swear on the River Styx that you'll be back in Brooklyn by then."

"No," I say, fixing him with a stern glare. "Swear on the Eye of Horus."

He looks confused, but another grin breaks out onto his face. He says, "I swear on the Eye of Horus."

A gush of hot, humid air (straight from the deserts of Egypt, I can tell) blows through the room. Acknowledgement of the oath. I give him a nod, and so he flips open his mobile and dials a number on it. Just as he begins speaking to the person on the other end of the line, he steps onto the balcony and takes off into the air, his flapping shoes and hat propelling him into the night sky.

"Could an alliance happen? A real alliance?" Percy asks, looking between Annabeth and myself.

She and I look at each other. Size each other up. Put the question in perspective. An unspoken consensus passes between us.

She answers, "Maybe, Percy. But it wouldn't be pretty."

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asks.

"We can't do anything but speculate at this point," I say.

"I'm worried about our enemies," Bast says. She hasn't spoken this entire time, I realize. Probably too deep in battle-mode to really process the conversation. I guess she's back in her normal attitude now that Hermes is gone. "If we 'team up,' who's to say that Apophis and Kronos won't do the same?"

Percy takes in a sharp breath through his teeth, cringing. "That ... sounds really bad."

"I thought you said Apophis was banished," Annabeth says to me.

I roll my eyes. "Yes. However, I think we're all quite aware that these massive, powerful, evil godly beings have a habit of, you know, _reviving_ from time to time. Isn't that what you lot are afraid is going to happen in your upcoming civil war?"

"Well, yeah," Percy says, staring off into nothing with a frown.

"The Greek civil war will hopefully be prevented with the new alliance plan. I'd hate to lose half of the world to a war that we aren't even involved in. And, as nice as Egypt and Brooklyn are, I don't want them to be the only places on Earth still in _existence_," Bast says.

Annabeth turns to Bast as that light comes back into her eyes. She sits down next to Bast and starts interviewing her: what is her domain, what are her symbols, what is her position of power in the Egyptian pantheon, how is having a cat as a host different from having a human as one, etc. etc. and blah blah blah. Bast answers all of her questions with a laid back posture and an amused quirk to her lips.

"Hey, Sadie?"

I look to Percy. "Yes?"

His expression is serious, but his eyes are uncomfortable. "You said your brother is looking really hard for you, right?"

"Yeah."

"What do you think he would do if he thought that the Greeks - that we - had kidnapped you?"

I sit down and think it over, feeling a frown come to my face unbidden. "Well, my brother, Carter, he would be upset, but he would understand if we explained it to him properly. Horus, his kingly half, that is the one that would be the most problematic. He holds grudges, and he acts before hearing the whole story."

"He would declare war on the Greeks?" Percy prods.

"I would never let it get that far," I object, shaking my head.

He groans, resting his head in his hands. "But Sadie, you're not with him right now to tell him _not_ to declare war."

"It won't happen, Percy," I say. "And, you know, this would have never happened if you hadn't have come back. If you had just left when I told you to, I would have gotten through my vacation without being noticed, returned to court, and no one would have been the wiser!"

"You shouldn't even be here in the first place, Sadie!" he shoots back, greenish blue eyes churning like angry waves. "You _knew_ it was dangerous to come to Manhattan! You knew this could happen! You came anyway! How is it my fault?"

"You're saying that it's mine?" I ask, glaring. The room is beginning to shake again. I don't notice.

Percy does. His expression is wiped blank, and he says in a calmer tone, "No, I just don't think we should be pointing blame at anyone right now. What's done is done."

He sounds _just_ like Carter.

The shuddering around us triples. The chandelier falls off of the ceiling and hits the table with loud, clattering sound as glass from both spills out onto the floor. My hair is whipped around my face as the wind around me picks up to a brutal speed, and yet blows even faster. The tiles of the floor turn to scorching sand under our feet; some of it is picked up by the wind and sent zipping away. I see in my periphery that the cabinets in the kitchen are shutting and opening rapidly as random objects fly around, slamming into walls and spilling over the floor.

And Percy is standing in front of me all the while it happens, taking it in with those eyes of his. When he finally looks back at me, the steel I expect isn't there.

Strength around the edges of his gaze: a willingness to fight, even though he knows he'll lose, but he'll go down trying. Experience towards the middle of his gaze: he's faced off against gods and goddesses before, and he knows what he's up against. The core, though. The core of his gaze is what reels my mind:

Fear. Because he's obviously faced death and impossible odds before and emerged victorious, but every time he's stepped out of the fray, successful, he's got a new scar. Irene said that Greek demigods have doomed lives. One misery after another. No peace. He must be anticipating death every morning that he wakes up. Must be desperate to do everything he can for the world and his friends and his family before his luck finally runs out.

An icy sensation creeps up my spine.

It suddenly comes to me that Percy is nothing like Carter. Not anymore. Carter is strong. Stronger than he even knows how to deal with. Carter is fresh to the battlefield. He's hardly even broached the depths of death in war. Carter is untainted. He carries a light in his eyes, one that Percy must have lost years ago. Carter is shy. Carter is dorky.

_Carter is immortal_.

He doesn't worry about death. He doesn't have to. And neither do I. But Percy ...

The shaking, the destruction, the _everything_ stops.

Percy looks around us, confusion taking over his expression. He and Annabeth exchange uncertain glances. Bast just stares straight at me, a sympathetic look in her eyes that tells me she eavesdropped on what I was thinking a moment ago.

I rub my eyes. I'm not crying, so that's something. Looking back at Percy, I realize I can't even remember what he said that made me upset.

"I'm going to sleep. Take the couches if you want," I tell them, flicking me wrist in their direction. I turn around and start walking towards the bedroom. "Bast, clean this up."

I shut the bedroom door behind me and lie down on the bed.

"-like that? Throwing tantrums?" Annabeth asks in a whisper.

Godly ears. I can hear everything that goes on in the living room from here as though I'm still standing in it.

Bast sighs. I hear her snap her fingers and feel a rush of Egyptian magic sweep through the house, fixing my mess. Bast says, "Sadie only joined with Isis recently. She's still a thirteen-year-old girl at heart."

"Still, she's been a goddess for half a year, hasn't she? Shouldn't she have changed, even a little?" Annabeth asks.

"She did change. Sadie didn't use to be like this: throwing tantrums, ordering everyone around, nearly killing mortals. It was when she became a goddess that the change started. She can't die now, she can't have friends outside of the pantheon, she can't _be normal_. Sometimes I feel like she never got the chance to be normal, and that she regrets it more than anything. That she's overcompensating for her choice now by acting spoiled and pushing everyone away from her."

"Why did she agree to join with Isis then?" Percy asks, sympathy in his tone. Or maybe it's pity.

The sound Bast makes tells me that she's shaking her head. "Her brother agreed to join with Horus first. With her father and mother _and_ her brother all anchored into the Egyptian world, what other choice could she have had?"

"Traitor," I whisper into my pillow.

Bast falls silent right after I say it.

"Bast?" Annabeth inquires.

_Sleep, Sadie._

She's talking to them about me.

_I know she is. Bast is simply looking out for you, as she always does._

I'm not overcompensating.

_No, you are not._

It's what people expect out of me. I'm the queen.

_It is, Sadie._

It's what Carter expects of me, too.

_Of course he does. Now sleep. You need to clear your mind and rest._

I don't like the order, but my eyes shut regardless. I feel like someone is crying somewhere nearby. Bast. Or Annabeth. Or Percy. Or Isis. Or maybe even me. I'm not sure. Whoever it is, I will them to stop in my head.

It only seems to make them cry harder.


End file.
